In late June and early July 1972, major flooding caused
by the exceptional rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Agnes ravaged the
Middle Atlantic States.

Although only a
category 1 hurricane when it hit Florida and a tropical depression when
it moved into the Northeast, the rainfall produced by Agnes made this storm
more than twice as destructive as any previous hurricane in the history of the
United States and remains the worst natural disaster ever to strike Pennsylvania.

Agnes originated as a weak tropical disturbance first detected over the Yucatan
Peninsula on June 14. The depression intensified rapidly and moved eastward
into the Caribbean Sea. It reached tropical storm intensity on June 16 and began
to migrate northward toward the Florida Panhandle. Agnes moved into Florida
on June 19, with reduced maximum wind speeds.

By the morning of June 20th, the storm had weakened to tropical storm intensity
and never again reached hurricane strength.

Tropical Storm Agnes ranks among the weakest hurricanes in intensity, but had
a relatively large diameter of 1,000 miles. Also unusual was its long overland
path and the large amount of rainfall it brought to the relatively populous
and heavily developed coastal regions of the Atlantic States. During the waning
stage of its life cycle, the weakened Agnes merged with an extratropical
cyclone circulation centered over the northeastern United States. This reinforced
storm stagnated over western Pennsylvania for about 24 hours, yielding additional
rain over the northeastern section of the Nation.

The rainfall over the eastern United States from Tropical Storm Agnes and other
weather systems during June 16-25 produced record floods. Greatest rainfall
amounts were measured in Pennsylvania and New York. The greatest 24-hour amount
measured in Pennsylvania was 14.8 inches in Schuylkill County in the Mahantango
Creek basin. This amount well exceeds the value expected once every 100 years
- this was bigger than the 100-year flood. Total precipitation for the storm
at several locations from New York to Virginia was in excess of 15 inches.

The flooding caused by the heavy rain ravaged parts of twelve States. Record
peak stages (water levels) and discharges (streamflows) were measured on many
streams, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and water levels in many reservoirs
in New York and Pennsylvania were at their highest level since construction.

Along the main stem of the Susquehanna River from the New York- Pennsylvania
border to its mouth on Chesapeake Bay, this was the greatest flood since at
least 1784. Peak flows from Harrisburg downstream to the Bay were in excess
of 7.5 million gallons per second (1 million cubic feet per second (cfs)).

In Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, peak streamflow discharges of three
six times the previous maximum flows were recorded by the USGS at many gaging
stations on streams and rivers. These flow levels have never been approached
since, even during the severe winter flooding in January and September 1996
(following the Blizzard of '96 and during Hurricane Fran, respectively).

Total damage from Tropical Storm Agnes was estimated at $3.1 billion*, or more
than twice that caused by Camille, the second most destructive hurricane to
strike the United States. Most of the damage resulted from flooding in the Middle
Atlantic States.

Damage reached $2.12 billion in Pennsylvania alone, making this still the worst
natural disaster in the history of the Commonwealth. Damage included destruction
of homes and other structures, flooding of public water and waste-water treatment
facilities, inundation of industrial and public utility plants, loss of crops,
and disruption of normal activities.

Since the devastating floods of 1972 that took nearly 500 lives, the human
toll has declined in the United States, thanks in part to advances in science
and technology as well as improved partnerships among local, state, and federal
agencies working together to provide advance warnings to citizens. Floods continue
to cost the Nation an average of $3 billion in damages and claim about 95 lives
every year.

"Recent technological advances in water-level sensing and recording equipment
and data-transmission methods have greatly increased the availability of streamflow
data to water-resource managers," said Robert Hainly, Assistant District
Chief of the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Resources Division, Pennsylvania
District.

"We now have the ability to provide streamflow and river-level data to
decision-makers within minutes after the readings are taken by USGS equipment
installed on streams across Pennsylvania. This capability, along with advances
in flood- forecasting tools, such as the Doppler
radar system used by the National Weather Service, have greatly enhanced
the quantity and quality of information available to water-resources and emergency
managers in Pennsylvania," Hainly said.